Meet Dr. Kelli Ward, The Woman Running Against John McCain

Katie Pavlich | July 16, 2015 9:10 AM

For years Arizonans have been looking for a viable alternative to Senator John McCain. Now, they may have their chance to vote him out of office.

Earlier this week Arizona State Senator Kelli Ward officially announced she is running against McCain for his U.S. Senate seat in 2016. More from the Arizona Republic:

Kelli Ward, a Republican state senator from Lake Havasu City, on Tuesday officially entered the U.S. Senate primary against veteran incumbent John McCain.

In a post on her website Tuesday morning, Ward, a 46-year-old doctor of osteopathic medicine in her second term at the Arizona Legislature, said: "I'm running for the U.S. Senate to give you a real choice! Arizonans deserve a Senator who will fight for their values, and not just go along with the Beltway crowd."

Ward had been formally exploring getting into the race since April and, given the frequency of her attacks on McCain in her fund-raising e-mails, her announcement comes as no surprise to political observers.

From Ward's campaign website:

It has been my life’s honor to represent the people of Arizona’s Fifth Legislative District as their senator. I understand and truly appreciate the trust and support they have given me to do what is right. But when I look at what’s happening in our federal government, I know Arizonans need new representation in the U.S. Senate, and that’s why I’m running.

Failures of leadership have led to the problems we face in our state and our country: open borders, over 90 million Americans out of work, lost insurance and skyrocketing costs under ObamaCare, and a federal budget that only goes up. It’s time to change that.